The spiritual and physical environment/atmosphere of your home is very significant and are both necessary for the maximum functioning of a person. When the LORD God created man, He established both the spiritual and physical environment/atmosphere of man’s dwelling.
Genesis 2:8 (NKJV)
The Lord God planted a garden eastward in Eden, and there He put the man whom He had formed.
After creation, the LORD God decides to place man in a specific location that He designed. A garden in Eden. Scholars often refer to this garden as an enclosed piece of land. Symbolically, the garden was the physical location and Eden (delight, pleasant in Hebrew) was the atmosphere and that is where He chose to place man. Genesis 2:8 reveals the original intention for man’s dwelling.
1) God “created” man, yet the LORD God “planted” the garden. What does this tell us? According to Genesis 2:1, creation had already been completed. Genesis 2:1 says this “So the creation of heaven and earth and everything in them was completed.
- He was setting a standard on how we should go about establishing our dwelling. Letting us know that the resources needed for our dwelling have already been made available. All we need to do is make use of it.
2) “Planted”
-I looked up the definition of planted and it says, “deeply rooted” “firmly fixed”, “set in the soil for growth”.
-Therefore, God’s choice of habitation for man was intentional, not casual. It was purposeful. It was specific.
-The fact that man was placed in a garden planted by God tells us that man is a seed.
3) “A garden”
-Often, when we hear garden, we are reminded of a place used for growing flowers, fruits and vegetables. A place that requires cultivation and more. However, there is more to this word in this verse.
-A garden denotes cultivation (work), growth (progress), and freshness (consistent attention).
-A garden was planted eastward denoting territory.
-We see more reasons why we need plants around us in order to survive. We benefit from the gas exchange of carbon dioxide and oxygen.
4) ‘In Eden”
-As earlier mentioned, Eden in Hebrew means delight/pleasant and symbolic of the atmosphere in which He designed for us to live in. We are designed to live and thrive in the presence of God only. So, a garden was planted in Eden.
-His presence; His atmosphere is pleasant and delightful.
This is powerful! How far have we drifted from God’s original design?
The Relationship Between the Spiritual and Physical Environment/Atmosphere
What is the relationship between the spiritual and physical environment/atmosphere of your home? The relationship is that of pleasantness and delightful we will see why.
The pleasantness of your spirituality precedes the pleasantness of your environment.
We are told in Genesis 2:8 (NKJV) that, the Lord God planted a garden eastward in Eden, and there He put the man whom He had formed. We understand that the spiritual environment and atmosphere is that of delight and pleasantness.
When you read Genesis 2:9 (NKJV), it says this - And out of the ground -the Lord God made every tree grow that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. Emphasis Mine
The pleasantness of your physical environment is a reflection of the pleasantness of your spirituality; not the other way around. In other words, your spirituality as an individual will impact the spirituality of your home environment and the physical well-being of your environment. Therefore, if you and the others living in an environment, do not value godliness, the environment suffers as a result.
In Genesis 2:8, God planted the garden and placed man in it. Eventually, man was given the responsibility to cultivate it (Genesis 2:15) but before then, in Genesis 2:9 we are told that the LORD God Himself made the tree to grow and it was pleasant to the sight. God had to set the standard of growth and pleasantness before handing that responsibility to man. So that man can know whether or not he is meeting the expectation of the LORD God. This is beautiful!
Isaiah 32:18 (NKJV)
My people will dwell in a peaceful habitation, in secure dwellings, and in quiet resting places,
Isaiah 32:18 (MSG)
My people will dwell in a peaceful neighborhood - in safe houses, in quiet gardens.
Your environment/atmosphere should be characterized by peace, safety and quiet. It is such a blessing to know that the word of God provides guidelines for our homes. We do see that all these qualities support healthy living and healthy relationships.
Relationships will be negatively affected if an environment/atmosphere is stale, stagnant, repulsive, full of strife, unsecured and noisy.
Family, it’s about advancing the Kingdom of God even in our homes. Next time we will begin looking at how to practically cultivate the spiritual environment and atmosphere of our homes.